'Pennsylvania priests molested thousands'Significantly, the report faulted Cardinal Donald Wuerl, the former longtime bishop of Pittsburgh who now leads the Washington archdiocese, for what it said was his part in the concealment of clergy sexual abuse.

Officials in the US state of Pennsylvania have released a landmark grand jury report that identifies more than 300 "predator priests" who molested children in six dioceses.

It also accuses church leaders of taking steps to cover up the abuse. The report emerged from one of the nation's most exhaustive investigations of clergy sexual abuse.

CFMEU fined more than $500,000 by Federal Court for breaches of Fair Work Act Justice Richard Tracey said the union regarded itself as free to break the law.

Three construction officials who deliberately broke workplace laws at sites in Queensland and Victoria have cost their union close to $577,000 in fines, in what the Federal Court has described as "disgraceful and shameful" behaviour.

The Victorian case centred around the behaviour of Nigel Davies and Alex Tadic, who both refused to show their entry permits on the Bendigo Theatre construction site in 2014.

The court heard Mr Davies told one manager to "f*** off" while Mr Tadic engaged in a "loud, ... [more]

Photo: Some of the WA road trains involved in a cross-country convoy to deliver hay to drought-affected farmers in NSW. (Supplied: Tony York)

A huge convoy of about 20 road trains laden with 2,000 bales of hay is en route from outback Western Australia to drought-stricken farmers in New South Wales.

The massive cross-country aid effort, organised by the Rapid Relief Team (RRT) charity, includes 1,000 tonnes of hay worth $500,000 — which is enough to feed 1,000 cows or 20,000 sheep for a fortnight.

About 16 trucks left Northam in WA's Wheatbelt early on Monday, with the remaining trucks to ... [more]

The photo below was taken in 2005 and I am standing in front of an olive tree that was planted on 906AD. It is very close to an historic structure.

This week I'm offering a multiple choice question. Where was the photo taken?

( A ) Spain

( B ) France

( C ) Greece

( D ) Turkey

Only one chance this week. On Wednesday I'll post a picture of the structure but if you give a correct answer before then you earn 2 points. A correct answer after the Wednesday clue earns one point. ... [more]

By national environment, science and technology reporter Michael Slezak

Photo: A Queensland Government satellite image of the Calely Wetlands and the Abbot Point coal terminal after Cyclone Debbie. (Supplied: Queensland Government)

Adani has been fighting to hide details of what it told the Queensland Government about the risk of pollution to the Great Barrier Reef ahead of Cyclone Debbie in 2017.

Now, conservationists say documents and a series of emails obtained through freedom of information laws appear to show the company and the Queensland Government knew the pollution would be so bad it would break t ... [more]

A fight involving dozens of Sudanese-Australian youths from Melbourne's southern and northern suburbs that forced local residents to shelter indoors was caused by a dispute about "a couple of girlfriends", police have said.

Police said two groups of youths arranged via social media to "to have a fight" at Watergardens Shopping Centre, in Melbourne's north-west, about 5:30pm on Wednesday.

Video shared on social media appeared to show two females pushing and shoving each other, before falling to the ground and wrestling as people watched on.

Entertainer Shane Jacobson is locked in a legal battle with his former manager for a cut of more than $1 million in earnings he will bank for appearing in ads, stage productions and TV shows.Shane Jacobson being sued by former manager

Shane Jacobson is in a legal battle with his former manager, Deb Fryers for a cut of more than $1 million in earnings from ads, stage productions and TV shows.

Jacobson's long-time manager and publicist Deb Fryers filed a writ last month in the Victorian County Court claiming she had not been paid ... [more]

Posted By: Charles @ Aug 9 2018, 11:51 AM in Australian Football League

With top eight and the vital top four spots all still up for grabs, this round is vital to a number of teams. Last week I went the wrong way on a number of close ones. This week I'm hoping for better results on those games that look to be close contests.

Friday August 10th:

Essendon v Saint Kilda: The Bombers still cling to a faint chance of playing finals while the Saints were very disappointing ast week. ESSENDONWIN

Saturday August 11:

Hawthorn v Geelong. Two teams with a history of fierce and close encounters. The Hawks were good last week but I feel the Cats' mid-field depth is a big factor. GEELONGLOSS

With a Positive Spin, Chinese News Outlets Cover Africa A boy holds the Djiboutian national flag in front of the Chinese national flag before the launching ceremony of China-financed 1,000-unit housing construction project in Djibouti, July 4, 2018.

In Rwanda, a Chinese-owned garment factory provides jobs to hundreds of local workers. In Ethiopia, a Chinese-built railway makes life easier for business owners and travelers. In Zambia, a Chinese-funded television project will bring satellite TV to 500 villages.

Each of these stories, published by Xinhua, China's state-run news organization, typifies the country's coverage of Africa.

The PM has called the donation "a wonderful investment in ensuring that we maintain the health of the Great Barrier Reef". AAP: Michael Chambers

Malcolm Turnbull insists the Government's nearly half-a-billion-dollar donation to a private foundation with links to big resources companies has been done transparently, despite the body itself not asking for the money.

In April the Government announced it would give the Great Barrier Reef Foundation $444 million to fund projects to improve the health of the reef.

The foundation had only six staff when it was told it was getting the huge grant, which managing director Anna Marsden told Radio National was a ... [more]

Pilot Officer John Beverley Halley, was listed as assumed missing on operations, presumed dead in 1953.Picture: Australian War Memorial/O5309

Foreign Minister Julie Bishop says she has pushed the case for the return of Australians lost in the Korean War directly to her North Korean counterpart for the first time, opening a new window of hope for the families of the lost.

Ms Bishop said she spoke to North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong-ho on the sidelines of an ASEAN regional forum in Singapore and was confident he had taken Australia’s co ... [more]

'Benfords?': Australian lookalike wines are big sellers on China's new billion-dollar retail giant

By Michael Walsh and Bang Xiao

Photo: Hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of imitation Australian wines have been sold on Pinduoduo. (Pinduoduo)

Fancy a cut-price case of the Barossa Valley's famous "Benfords" wine? China's third largest online shopping platform Pinduoduo might have just the right deal for you.

Pinduoduo rose to global prominence last week after debuting on the Nasdaq with a valuation of $US24 billion ($32.6 billion), cementing its place as a rival to China's e-commerce giants Alibaba and JD.com.

Photo: Young Greens are angry about the party's handling of sexual misconduct allegations. (AAP: Mal Fairclough)

Young Greens have written an open letter to the party demanding it "reshape its culture around sexism within the party", as dozens "resign in disgust" over the handling of sexual misconduct allegations.

The petition comes in the wake of an ABC investigation which revealed the Greens mishandled complaints about sexual misconduct by members.

In an open letter addressed to the national, state and territory br ... [more]

Melanie Langley filmed the moment her partner David showed his generous spirit at a Victorian McDonald's restaurant.

An Australian tradie filmed coming to the aid of a struggling pensioner at a McDonald’s counter says his heart melted at seeing the man count his change at the counter and he “couldn’t not help the poor fella”.

In footage which has been viewed more than a million times on Facebook, Dave Love is seen helping an elderly man who empted his pockets to try and pay for his breakfast in Bendigo.

Posted By: Charles @ Aug 2 2018, 02:15 PM in Australian Football League

I rushed my tips last week and missed a couple of selections I normally would have made. I'm taking a little more care this week ... and I need to given the number of games that could go either way.

Friday August 3rd:

Richmond v Geelong: This will be a great game with some great match-ups all over the ground. The Cats will feel the loss of Stewart from their defence and may have difficulty containing the Tigers. In a close one ... RICHMONDWIN

Saturday August 4th:

Hawthorn v Essendon: Two sides desperate to keep their finals aspirations alive. The Hawks have been in solid form recently but may be troubled by the Bombers' pace. In another close one .... ESSENDON ... [more]

Premier Gladys Berejiklian made the announcement at a farm near Bathurst today. ABC News: Joanna Woodburn.

The New South Wales Government's drought assistance has tipped over $1 billion, after a fresh cash injection for struggling farmers the Premier says have faced an "unforgivably dry winter".

The Berejiklian Government had been criticised by regional stakeholders, including at last week's NSW Farmers Annual Conference in Sydney, for not doing enough to support those in dire straits on the land.

Premier Gladys Berejiklian today announced an additional $500 million in emergency funding to help drought-affected farmers.

Some games look fairly straight forward this week, but there appears (to my untrained eye) to be a couple of cracking games on Friday night. I'm also picking the cellar-dwellers again (it worked last time

Shorten celebrates as Labor wins back Longman, Braddon, Perth and Fremantle in byelections – as it happened.

Labor four from four, independent retains Mayo.

We end the night with nothing having changed in the parliament – which means everything has.

For the government.

Labor campaigners are telling me that the result is “way better than expected” and these are the same people who over the last few weeks have been telling me how close it was going to be. Part of the reason these byelections were so difficult to call is because the parties themselves didn’t know how it would go – and that’s because polling single seats is a notoriously difficult job.

When his grandfather died in 1959, it was in his own room at home, with little medical intervention.

"Most people's grandfathers died at home in those days, because the general practitioner was the last medical representative in that line. If he said 'there's nothing more to offer', then there was nothing more to off ... [more]

Prince Charles has issued a statement to a British inquiry investigating child abuse, saying he had been deceived by a disgraced Church of England bishop jailed for sex abuse.

The remarks by the Prince of Wales on Friday (local time) came amid an investigation into the handling of allegations against former bishop Peter Ball, who had claimed to be a confidant of the heir to the throne.

The 86-year-old Ball had accepted a caution for one count of gross indecency in 1993, but later admitted further crimes. He is currently jailed for sexually abusing 18 young men over 30 years.

Prince Charles said he didn't realise the truth until Ball's conviction.

Early Saturday morning risers are set for a celestial feast as scientists predict the moon to glow blood red thanks to the longest lunar eclipse this century.

Starting from 4am on the east coast of Australia, and from 2am in the west, as the moon moves into the Earth's shadow it will gradually become darker and glow progressively redder over the next hour and a half.

East coast viewers will see the blood moon at its fullest at about 5.30am, with the Earth, moon and sun in perfect alignment.

The colour of the moon is affected by the light from the sun's movements skimming through the Earth's atmosphere and continuing up to space ab ... [more]

Three Sydney children have become ill after using an imported eyeliner from Pakistan almost entirely made of lead.

The Hashmi Kohl branded product was 84 per cent lead and also contained high levels of dangerous metals including arsenic, cadmium, chromium and mercury, NSW Better Regulation Minister Matt Kean said on Tuesday.

"Some of the product packaging even specifically states that no lead is present, which is a total disgrace," Mr Kean said in a statement.

The children, from the same family, fell ill after using the Pakistan-made products.

Doctors found elevated lead levels in their blood, prompting NSW Fair Trading investigation and referral to Border Force for investigation.

Businesses supplying products that disobey the mandatory standard can be punished with fines of up to $1.1 mi ... [more]

It's just a stream really but its been trickling away in south west England for a long time.

It cuts through County Dorset or Dorsetshire, an area once occupied by ancient Celtic tribes. Then the Romans occupied the region until the Middle Ages when the Saxons took over.

Some of the earliest Viking raids on the British Isles happened near here back in the 8th century.

In more recent times, the English novelist Thomas Hardy took inspiration from this river and surrounding villages, according to a local Neil Herbert: "If you look closely, just outside the church, there are a couple of graves called the Dumbervilles. And Thomas Hardy used those grave names in his Tess of the d'Urbervilles. And just down the road, is Bathsheba's house in Far From ... [more]

Labor MP Emma Husar Is Under Investigation Over Allegations Of Workplace Bullying And Misconduct

Exclusive: NSW Labor has commissioned a barrister to investigate federal Labor MP Emma Husar after a number of former staff made complaints against her.

Posted on July 19, 2018, at 9:00 p.m.

Alice Workman

Federal Labor MP Emma Husar is being investigated over allegations of workplace bullying and misconduct within her Western Sydney electorate office after a number of former staff members came forward with complaints against her.

The anti-cotton wool schools where kids stare down risk in favour of nature playOld plastic crates and DIY obstacle courses are the hot ticket at West Greenwood Primary School.

Far from wrapping children in cotton wool, a growing number of WA public schools are doing the opposite, giving their students the opportunity to race around on rollerblades, fly off ramps in crates and slide down trees.

They are setting aside injury concerns to help children build resilience and squeeze in much-needed physical activity, in an age where screen time dominates and where one in four children is either overweight or obese.